Stargazing in Lake County

Stargazing in Lake County

1of2Guests watch a presentation in the planetarium at the Taylor Observatory before venturing out for a night of stargazing.Photo: Peter DaSilva, Special to The Chronicle

2of2A stargazer peers through a telescope at the Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville.Photo: Peter DaSilva, Special to The Chronicle

Driving through Lake County on a cloudy night, there’s one thing you’ll notice. It’s dark. Really dark. In the words of Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel, it could be “none more black” outside. The lights of the small towns and rural homes in the area do not penetrate more than a few hundred feet from their sources.

In an absence of visible landmarks, I pull to the side of Highway 29 to check my GPS. As I do so, the clouds part to reveal a glow — not that of the moon, but of the hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way, spread above me like a glowing white carpet. Just a few blocks from the town of Kelseyville, in the crisp, dry, fall air, the stars shine like they would when seen from a remote desert peak.

I turn off the GPS and stare at the sky, just the latest gape-mouthed visitor to discover the wonders of stargazing here. The combination of few artificial lights, low humidity and an elevation of about 1,300 feet creates ideal conditions for viewing celestial objects in Lake County. So much so, that the county is looking into gaining official certification as an “International Dark Sky Community,” joining about a dozen others around the world like Flagstaff, Ariz., and Britain’s Channel Islands. A local effort is looking to dampen further light pollution and preserve the pure night sky.

You don’t have to be an astronomer to appreciate stargazing in Lake County, but it helps to chat with one. The Taylor Observatory, a humble-looking domed facility located at the end of a dirt road on the edge of Kelseyville, houses a 16-inch, research-grade telescope, a collection of smaller regular and solar telescopes, and notably, monthly events held by the Friends of Taylor Observatory, in which visiting astronomers, local enthusiasts and educators share their knowledge about the night sky.

At monthly Taylor Observatory events (on the fourth Saturday of every month, possibly expanding to biweekly in the future), for a small entry fee, visitors will be treated to a show in the 33-seat planetarium through the specialty Digitalis projector. On clear nights, the dome will open to allow the telescope to scan the sky for cosmic views of stars, planets and galaxies. Lecturers will share their knowledge on topics ranging from using stars for navigation, how-to talks on making your own telescopes, a “Pluto-palooza” and the search for alien life.

In addition to the regular observatory meetings and school education programs, gatherings are held there for special celestial events like a meteor shower or a solar eclipse. Check out its Facebook page for ad-hoc stargazing opportunities.

For visitors to Lake County who can’t sync their timing to that of the observatory, the universe is still available for viewing. All it takes is a short drive out of town and a clear night. By the shores of Clear Lake in the state park facilities, you’re ensured of a dark zone for trying out some time-lapse night photography, or just lying on your back and marveling at the skies with your naked eye. Aside from the observatory, telescopes are strictly a bring-your-own arrangement, unless you happen to meet up with some of the many amateur astronomers in town.

By day, visitors can explore Lake County nature en route to prime stargazing sites like Mendocino National Forest (with campgrounds and some cabins for rent), and campgrounds near the calm waters of Indian Valley Reservoir and Lake Pillsbury. The bold can climb Lake County’s Mount Konocti for sky-viewing at its 4,300-foot elevation just as the trails officially close at sunset, but remember it gets truly dark afterward.

Even if you want to stay in town, stargazing opportunities aren’t far away. On the shores of Clear Lake in the city of Nice, the curious Featherbed Railroad Caboose Bed and Breakfast (you actually sleep in retrofitted cabooses) boasts of its 150-foot pier that “is minimally lighted so you can sit on the end of it and enjoy an incredible sky show.” Bring your tripod for some star shots, and perhaps a bottle of Lake County wine to inspire your own creative musings about alien life as you gaze at distant galaxies.

Whatever brings you to Lake County, be it fishing, hiking, biking, boating or a quilt-trail expedition, or even if you’re just passing through, be aware that while the towns are pretty quiet, the activity above you lasts all night. Even if you’re just stopped at the roadside like I was, it’s worth waiting for the clouds to clear and surprise you with something as spectacular as a meteor shower, as expansive as the Milky Way, or with the simple beauty of the moon viewed in crystal-clear dark skies.

Bill Fink has been writing about travel adventures for The San Francisco Chronicle since 2004. His story locales have spanned the globe, from frigid Siberia to sunny St. Martin, his reporting arriving anywhere from the depths of caves in Calaveras County to the windswept peaks of Tahoe ski resorts. His Chronicle Sunday Magazine article on Albania was shortlisted for Best American Travel Writing of 2007, and his feature on Colombia won the Society of American Travel Writers’ award for best newspaper travel article of 2009.